Three major factors influence actions of abused wives: (1) the less severe the violence, the longer a wife remains; (2) the more a wife was struck as a child by her parents, the more likely she is to remain; and (3) the fewer resources a wife has the more likely she is to stay. (Author)

The available evidence on marital violence indicates that a number of women are forced into having sexual relations with their husbands through intimidation or physical force. Although marital rape is not possible in a strict legal sense, some women are talking about and reporting incidents of marital rape. (Author)